Crock Pot Potato Soup

Winter has hit with a vengeance. Single digit and below zero temperatures. 23 inches of snow in one day. The snow outside of my garage door was above my shoulders! Here is my truck after the first snow. Yes, there is a vehicle under there. It took me two days to shovel out – and then it started snowing again. It’s snowing even now.

It is definitely soup weather. There’s nothing like coming in from shoveling snow, with freezing fingers and a frozen nose, and heating up a bowl of homemade soup you made in anticipation of the worst. This potato soup is a combination of several recipes. I made it with most of the potatoes chopped coarsely, but I recommend cutting half of them into 1-2 inch chunks to give the soup more chunky texture.

Put all ingredients except the evaporated milk and fat free half and half into the crock pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, on high for 3-4 hours. You may want to check it an hour or so before it is supposed to be done, so it doesn’t burn. One half hour before the soup is done, stir in the evaporated milk and fat free half and half. You can adjust the seasoning (salt and pepper) to your taste after the soup is done. Since I made this primarily to eat for lunches, I tend to add salt and other flavor enhancements when I reheat individual bowls of soup. This makes 10 servings at about 2.2 grams/fat/serving.

Variations As you can see, I served the soup with a dollop of non-fat sour cream (why is a lump of sour cream always called a dollop?). I also added a sliced up low fat hot dog one day. I expect ham would also be good. Just remember to add the fat grams for these add-ons to your counting.

Hint: Leeks require some special handling. Soil is mounded up around them while they grow, and you must make certain that all the sand and grit is out of them before you add them to a recipe. Some people cut them in half lengthwise and soak them, rinsing them several times. I cut the leeks in half lengthwise, and then into 3 inch pieces. I put the pieces in a colander and rinse them under running water, stirring with my hand to make sure that the pieces are well-rinsed.

I have lost 200 pounds. I did not do it through surgery – I don’t like knives and needles – or by joining a club, vigorous exercise, or rigorous dieting. I did it by gourmet cooking. To be precise, by cooking low fat, really delicious food. I love to cook as much as I love to eat. Food magazines are some of my favorite reading. I would feel deprived if I couldn’t have the sensuous experience of good food crossing my lips. This blog is about my perpetual feast, my passionate love of food, with recipes, photos, and occasional advice and principles that I have learned along the way.